China will strengthen support for its emerging pillar industries to promote high-quality development, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on Tuesday.

The output value of emerging pillar industries is projected to exceed 10 trillion yuan (about $1.4 trillion) by the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), almost doubling from nearly 6 trillion yuan last year, Ren Zhongbao, an official with the NDRC, told a press conference.

In the first three quarters of 2026, China's integrated circuit output reached 442.8 billion units, up 23.3% year on year. The value of China's innovative drug out-licensing deals totaled roughly $130 billion in this period, close to the total for all of last year, according to the NDRC.

Ren said the country will increase fiscal and financial policy support, and guide social capital into emerging pillar industries.

The NDRC also said China will support enterprises in taking the lead in implementing national science and technology projects and in building innovation platforms.

China has vowed to bolster emerging pillar industries such as integrated circuits, aerospace, biomedicine, low-altitude economy, new energy storage and intelligent robotics to foster new growth momentum.

China will focus on quantum technology, bio-manufacturing, hydrogen energy, nuclear fusion energy, brain-computer interfaces, embodied intelligence and 6G in developing future industries. It will also encourage regions to develop sub-sectors where they have comparative advantages, the NDRC said.

In recent years, China has taken a leading position worldwide in terms of the speed of artificial intelligence (AI) development and the scale of its applications, achieving positive results in shaping new drivers of economic growth.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China will deepen and expand the "AI Plus" initiative, said Wang Ruomeng of the NDRC at the press conference. Efforts will be made to organize key projects focused on "AI Plus" applications, prioritizing scenarios such as mining operations, aerial work and emergency disaster response, aiming to address industry challenges through AI technologies.

The construction of national pilot application bases for AI in manufacturing, energy, transportation and healthcare will be continuously promoted.

Wang also stated that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, AI regulation will be strengthened and international cooperation in the AI field will be advanced.

Regarding the marine economy, Ma Weichen, an official with the NDRC, said at the press conference that China's gross ocean product is expected to exceed 13 trillion yuan by 2030.

Ma noted that the 15th Five-Year Plan period is crucial for China's transition from a major maritime country to a strong maritime power.

China will consolidate marine equipment manufacturing, maritime transport and marine fisheries, while fostering new sectors like marine biomedicine, new marine materials and marine electronic information, Ma said.

China's gross ocean product reached 8.5 trillion yuan in the first three quarters of 2026, up 4.9% year on year, according to data released by the Ministry of Natural Resources.

China's economy is undergoing positive and profound changes, with innovation playing a growing role in driving growth, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said. New growth areas are attracting more investment as China accelerates the shift from old growth drivers to new ones.

In the first three quarters of 2026, new growth drivers continued to expand, contributing more than 40% to China's economic growth, NBS data revealed. Value-added industrial output rose 5.3% year on year, with equipment manufacturing up 10.2% and high-tech manufacturing rising 14.3%.

China's GDP grew 4.5% year on year in the third quarter of the year, higher than the second quarter's reading of 4.3%, supported by fast-growing new drivers and fresh policy support.